Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | May 07, 2007 06:01pm | #1

   First, do hook a vacuum to the port where the dust collection bag goes.   That catches a surprisingly large percentage of the dust.  In particular, it seems to catch a lot of the fines; you get a lot less of that fog which hangs in the air after use.   Second, build an enclosure behind the saw which catches the remaining flung dust and drops it by gravity into a chip-collector input.   These two strategies won't be 100% perfect, but they will help a lot.

2. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 07, 2007 07:12pm | #2

   Morning Archibald...

   To expand on what J B said, I messed around with a $1.50 plastic table mat and a roll of duct tape and came up with a solution that carried my 12" SCMS from a saw-dust spewing wild beast to a almost tame one. You are not going to tame a miter saw completely, but I went from about 60% pick-up from just the rear built-on dust port to about 90%. And that's not bad.

   What Jamie said about the rear port and a shroud is correct, IMO. I just added a pick-up line to the shroud I crafted by splitting my DC main drive line to two 2 1/2" lines and things got better in the "catch what you can" department.

   Regards...

   Sarge.. jt

   
1. 
   sasquatch55 | May 08, 2007 10:47pm | #3

   A "downdrafter," manufactured by Rousseau, works well for me. Hooks up to your 4" dust-control system:http://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-4550-Down-Drafter/dp/B0006FRAVQ/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5792124-8932046?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1178653534&sr=1-1

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 09, 2007 12:37am | #4

   Afternoon Sasquatch...

   That's an interesting contraption, but a bit pricey for me. I noticed it got  mixed reviews on Amazon. Some did and some didn't think it effective. If I saw one in use and considered it more effective than what I rigged up, I believe I could make one for under $10 with one of those plastic tubs from the box. And of course... duct tape would probably get thrown in the tossed salad! :>) 

   If it's doing the job for you.. that's what counts. Almost anything would be an improvement on a miter saw as they are impossible to tame completely.

   I just edited this evening. Where is the port for the 4" pipe located, Sasquatch? The more I look at it this evening, the more possilbilities I see with a little modification. And that's where the duct tape comes in handy.  he....

   Regards...

   Sarge.. jt

   Edited 5/8/2007 10:56 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47

   Edited 5/8/2007 10:57 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47

1. 
   sasquatch55 | May 09, 2007 08:02am | #5

   I know what you mean about the replies on Amazon.There's no explaining the different takes that people have, but I'd say, seriously, that some guys just pan a product for the fun of it, and some are "sour grapes" about a product because they think it's too pricey, but would seriously have a problem constructing anything anywhere near as effective out of bailing wire, bubble-gum, and duct tape.It's a great product, as far as i'm concerned, but I had reasonable expectations when I ordered it. I have the big Bosch 5412L, and it's way worse than my DeWalt 705 ever thought of being, where spraying dust and crap all over hell's half acre. I also bought an extra six inch long, 1 1/2", 45 degree "elbow" for the Bosch a the local hardware store that re-directs it's sawdust from the "bag port" directly into the mouth of the "down drafter," and -- along with the vacuum from my 1 1/2 hp Delta unit, I'd say it captures about 99% of the sawdust.It's not "perfect," but it's damned close, and it's easy to move around the shop for use with other tools, as well.

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 09, 2007 04:28pm | #7

   Morning Sasquatch...

   And I have to agree about those that will spend what they feel is too much and then go "sour grapes" when the results are less than 100%. I think you nailed it when you said you had "reasonable expectations". As I see the world, that is the key in this case as you are not to get it all on a miter or SCMS.. period.

   And you are correct about those that complain that don't have the knack or initiative to build it for much less. It appears that complaining about a problem these days is more accepted attitude than "get cracking and fix it".

   I learned WW early from a long dead older uncle that was a carpenter. He built houses that are still standing and probably will be for several hundred more years with proper maintenance. And he did it all with tools that came out of two little metal tool-boxes. One about 3 1/2" long and the other around 2'. If he could do that with precision, as he did indeed insist on precision... h*ll, I can build a dust shield or about anything else with over $10 K worth of modern, time saving tools. And for that matter, "I can do" it with nothing but hand-tools as that is how he taught me and the lesson will never be forgotten.

   If we all were put back into days of crossing America in a Conestoga wagons and making do with things on hand on the farm.... many would be "lost puppies" I am afraid. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

   Regards...

   Sarge.. jt

2. 
   sasquatch55 | May 09, 2007 04:43pm | #8

   Great post, Sarge, and dead in the "ten ring" where comments about the average American's personal industry and self-reliance is concerned.The "Down-drafter," at $150 is, for me, a good value, because I bill my time out at about that same rate, and I couldn't manufacture a formed, lightweight, plastic hood on a heavy tubed-steel stand (fully adjustable for height, angle of dust entry, and mobility) in an hour's time.Sometimes I've tried to "Rube Goldberg" a prototype together -- just for fun -- and been successful, but it's typically (even if I value my time at, say, $10 per hour) a much better deal to just order something well-thought-out from a store on-line.The other basic premise I operate under is the trite, "Life's too short," and sort of encompasses my belief that it's more rewarding to spend my late middle-aged years pushing wood through machines that I love and building stuff for my kids than it is tinkering with trying to "reinvent the dust-catching wheel," and experiencing less than satisfying results for my efforts.There's something wonderful, granted, about the spirit of personal innovation that motivates people who have the time and inclination to do everything themselves, but I'm happy to pay my dough to the guy who's already sweated out the design, paid the attorneys, applied for the patents, and brought a solid idea to market.I feel like it's the least I can do to reward his efforts, because stuff like this is, increasingly, being pushed over-seas, and American innovation and invention need encouragement, nourishment, and support.Finally, I'm not going to miss the $150 when I'm lying on my death-bed and contemplating the errors of my ways, and wondering whether or not I could've/should've cranked out another rocking horse for my second daughter, but ran out of time messing around with roofing tin, chicken wire, and duct tape.(kidding)More power to you, and maybe we'll bump into each other in our conestoga wagons in the Great Beyond some day.:)

3. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 09, 2007 05:13pm | #10

   Well spoken Sasquatch... you have excellent points that high-light the fact that we all march to the beats of a different drummer. And life would be dull indeed if we all wore gray suits and walked around with a cell phone in one ear and a cup of "mocha" from Star-bucks in the other. And that's a fact!

   Mama told me, "life is like a box of chocolates"... "and you ain't gonna get none son, so get back to work and do something useful instead of looking for hand-outs or trying to be smart when in reality you ain't nothing but a dumb country boy"!

   And mama was right.... so on that note I will head outside to finish painting the house! And maybe I can find time to do some shop work latter in the evening and possibly tinker at bit. I suppose God made some of us that just loves to tinker with ideas. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

   Have a great day, my friend...

   Sarge.. jt 

2. 
   mikemar21 | May 09, 2007 10:49pm | #11

   Bought the downdrafter two weeks ago. It does a great job at my Dewalt 12 inch SCMS.

1. 
   sasquatch55 | May 10, 2007 03:50am | #12

   Mike, I think one of the best things about it is that it can be wheeled, easily, from side to side, so it will accommodate different cuts, as when the saw makes a left-hand, or right-hand, 45-degree cut.It's tough, with a slider, to build a stationary collector that will work when the saw makes a cut in anything other than its 90-degree orientation.As we've acknowledged, even this commercial solution isn't 100% effective, but it's good enough for most of us, and the price was right for me.

1. 
   Ed | May 11, 2007 02:36pm | #13

   I'm very happy with my downdrafter.  I've had it since 2004 and have used it for thousands of cuts.  When I first got it I considered adding wings to make it more efficient but found that it worked fine without any fiddling.  Some of the larger dust specks bounce off the fence and end up on the bench but those aren't the dangerous ones.  The very fine stuff (like mdf dust) get caught virtually completely. I can chop all day and not have a nose full of wood dust.

   Prior to getting the downdrafter I had Fein shop vac hooked up to the saw dust port.  It was better than nothing but there was a lot of dust uncaptured.

   The price caused some hesitation but as another poster said you would be hard-pressed to make it for less if you include your time in the calculation.

   Ed

2. 
   Lindau | May 12, 2007 01:44pm | #14

   I used to have just a curved shield with a vac port at the bottom to catch the SCMS dust. Thinking that gravity would pull the dust towards the port and that would be it. But one day a stream of sunlight was shooting across the shop onto this contraption, and after a cut I saw cloud of dust particles that had escaped. Without the sunlight they would have been invisible. So I added a shroud to the front. What this does is chokes down the inflow of air thus increasing the face velocity at the opening. Now when I turn on the DC (note the swith under the platform on the left) the whole "plastic bag" contracts like a lung inhaling. A few particles still escape but it's way better than anything else I've come up with.Bill

   
3. 
   jvk | May 12, 2007 07:40pm | #15

   The shroud traps the dust from flying all aroung.  Gravity feeds the DC intake at the bottom.  Still get it on the table of the saw and a little on the floor.trimjim

   
4. 
   noBull4u | May 13, 2007 07:12am | #16

   Thanks Lindau,

   You saved me from having to upload photos of my setup--it looks very similar to mine, and yes it works pretty good, especially at 90 degrees.

   Joe

5. 
   Lindau | May 13, 2007 11:48am | #17

   Joe, you are right, it works the best at 90 deg. As I tweak my setup, I 've found keeping the fence just barely forward of the shroud is optimum. So the slider arms are actually in the bag so to speak. In order for the contraption to accomodate the saw set at 45 deg bevel and 45 deg miter, the shroud needs to  be fairly flexible. I got the idea for this when I was in the loading area of a Lowes Hardware. They have that big doorway which is something like 12' tall and 14' wide. In cold weather they can't open and close it all day, so they drape heavy plastic strips from the top. The wind won't move them but a forklift can drive through. Bill

3. 
   forestgirl | May 09, 2007 08:58am | #6

   Archibald, I have only a compound miter saw, not a slider, but I have learned some things from the dust hood I built (pictured below) that might help in building something for a SCMS. 

   • The dust follows a circular pattern, in the same plane as the saw blade.  That can be used to your advantage by making a hood that forces the flow back down to the port.  My hood does that to a certain extent.  If it were a bit higher, and had a curved top, it would work even better.
   • If one could figure out a way to get the hood to rotate with the saw as miters were set up, the collection would be very close to 90%+
   • Don't know about an SCMS, but with a CMS, a small port under the saw table would help with collecting the stuff that falls through the insert, keep it from building up.
   • A 6" port would be even better.  I'm sure this would be true of an SCMS.

   View Image 

   View Image

   View Image

   If this humble hood is of interest, details can be found here.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 09, 2007 04:55pm | #9

   Morning FG...

   The shield you have is very similar to the one Sasquatch posted from Amazon. I suppose an arched shield is an arched shield when you break it down to basics. :>)

   Yours would probably work with my SCMS as the newer Hitachi 12" don't have the long rails extending off the back that far. The Hitachi 10" did and that would make it more difficult to keep the shield compact.

   And how could you make it work when swinging a miter saw in an arc to get an angle? Indeed..... if "there is a will, there's is a way"!

   First thing that comes to mind without much thought is sitting at a table down in south Louisiana eating craw-fish hot out the pot smothered in Tabasco sauce and drinking beer. And a Cajun band plays on stage as I eat. I notice that the accordion player moves his accordion in and out and at arc'ing angles as it pours out that wonderful home-spun music!

   Pleats my lady... pleats!

   "Laissez les bon temps rouler".... "joie de vivre"...................

   Regards and let the good times roll to celebrate the joy of living!

   Sarge.. jt